A Place Called Home
by Kazue Tsubasa
Summary: A series of drabbles on the little moments between Ace and the Whitebeard Pirates! Mostly fluff with some angst occasionally. Updated whenever inspiration strikes.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer : I do not own One Piece.**

 **Hello! This is my first OP fanfic and I thank you for giving it a chance. I've been reading tons of Whitebeard Pirates and Ace fanfics and I just had to start my own. I'll _try_ to update once in two or three weeks, but mostly when inspiration strikes. Enjoy!**

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Distant cheers and laughter pulled him out of slumber as his eyelids fluttered open. Still feeling groggy, Ace rubbed his eyes with his hands and sat up, a blanket falling off his upper body. He scanned his surroundings with glazed eyes, blinking a little to chase the sleepiness away.

The gentle rocking of the waves, chilly, salty breeze and joyful laughter led him to immediately realize he was on the Moby Dick.

He must have had fallen asleep due to his narcolepsy again, judging from the distance between the spot he was sleeping on and where the party was going on wild.

He stifled a yawn but nearly choked when a voice - unyielding but gentle and warm - boomed beside him.

"Had a good sleep?" Whitebeard grinned down at him.

"Yeah." he stretched a little to shake off the sleepiness. "I missed out the fun again."

The Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates chuckled as he gazed at his crew in front of them. "It's not such a bad thing to sit out of the fun once in a while."

Ace took in how one of the strongest man across the seas, Whitebeard looked at his crew. His features visibly softened as he laid eyes on them. Even though he wasn't grinning from ear to ear, that peacefulness that shrouded him warmed Ace's heart.

This man was his father. And he was part of this family.

Ace tore his gaze away from the man and looked ahead.

His gaze slowly moved from one brother to another, as though he was recalling his memories with every single one of them. Ace couldn't help but smile at the sight of all of them.

"Yeah," he mumbled. "It is."

Whitebeard downed his cup of sake and his gaze flickered over to Ace.

"Not going to join in the fun?"

After a beat of silence, he shook his head. "I'll stay here."

He hadn't found his answer yet - whether if it was right for him to be born and if he deserved to live - but right then, Ace really wanted everything to remain the same.

"Is that so?" A grin tugged on Whitebeard's lips as he met Ace's eyes knowingly.

Ace wanted to live on, even if the world was against his will.

"Yeah," Ace grinned back at him, looking like the innocent and carefree child he never had a chance to be. "A little longer."

Because for once in his entire life, he belonged. And he wanted nothing else but stay here for as long as he lived.

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 **Please leave a review if you liked it! Tell me if you have any prompts too. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer : I do not own One Piece.**

 **I'm back with an update! A huge thanks to _AnimeFanRy, catscats1223, Dreamyyyyyy, Zoeyoong, Arya Scarlett 14, Glassdrop, oOLinnyOo, Nettle-Inis, shoeinthekok_ for favouriting/following!**

 **And for the reviews :**

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"Has anyone seen Ace?" Thatch voiced out his question while looking around the other tables in search for his youngest brother. He usually sat with them at the commanders' table but he was nowhere in sight today. "He wasn't here for breakfast so I thought he'd definitely be here by now."

Ace never missed lunch. Especially when he overslept and missed breakfast, like today.

"Nope," Haruta answered with her mouth stuffed with food.

The other commanders followed suit and shrugged. None had seen him.

Thatch frowned. That was odd. Unless he was sick?

Marco, who was already done with his food, stood up and offered to search for Ace. He knew Thatch had been extremely busy recently and didn't have time to even have a proper meal.

"I'll go look for him. Don't worry 'bout it."

Thatch nodded. "Thanks. Tell me what's up later."

And so, Marco left.

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After a visit to Ace's room that turned out to be empty, Marco headed to the next place that he knew Ace would be at. The crow nest. The Second Division Commander had mentioned before that being at the crow nest where he could see the sky and sea the clearest was extremely smoothing. And indeed, he knew him well enough.

The First Division Commander climbed up the rope ladder and earned a glance from the raven haired teen. Ace didn't say anything, but Marco took the way he had shifted a little to the side as a sign that he was not unwelcomed.

"Everyone's worried, yoi. You didn't show up for breakfast and lunch." Marco sat down and tried to pick up any hints that would hopefully tell him what was wrong. But Ace was facing the other side, his gaze seemingly fixated at the sea. His eyes were a little distant though.

"Didn't feel hungry. Sorry." The usual cheerfulness was nowhere in sight. Marco knew something was definitely up.

"It's fine. We just found it surprising that the ship's biggest eater was skipping meals." When Marco received no reply, he had a vague feeling of what was going on. After all, there were only that few things a pirate can be this solemn about. After another beat of silence, he asked, "What's up?"

This time, Ace tore his gaze away from the sea and his eyes fell upon Marco for a second before he looked away again. Marco caught the muddle of sadness in his eyes as he waited patiently for him to continue.

Ace put out his hands and opened them. Fire slowly lighted from the tip of his pinkie finger to his thumb. The flames burned brightly, and Marco's gaze flickered between the flame and Ace.

"Sometimes, I'm afraid of the fire. I hate it too. But it's funny, isn't it? I'm made of flames but I'm afraid of it."

"And why's that?" Marco asked softly, knowing it was something personal to him. And painful.

Ace looked genuinely surprised that Marco had asked that. He turned away and buried his face into the space between his chest and knees.

"You could always tell me, yoi. Anything."

Ace looked up. Closing his eyes, he breathed out a sigh.

"Flames…remind me of my brother." Ace squeezed out in tight voice. "I'd remember the day he died. In a sea of flames." His voice went silent, and it sounded a little broken, like how Marco remembered it to be during the days Ace wasn't one of them yet.

"Not Luffy?" Marco recalled the number of times Ace had talked about his foolish little brother with such a huge grin.

"No. I had another brother. Sabo."

Marco knew from the way Ace had uttered his name so gently like it was a piece of glass that would shatter so easily if not handled with care.

"He was a noble. But hated it. Said they were all too fake and inhumane. The three of us, me, Luffy and him. We shared cups of sake and became brothers. And we promised each other we'd be free."

Ace paused and ran his fingers over his tattoo on his arm. It burned his fingers. It felt like it did.

Marco wasn't an idiot. He was quick too. It was then he realized that that tattoo wasn't misspelt like how half of the crew guessed to be.

"He set sailed earlier. While we weren't in contact. But a Tenryuubito just had to visit at the same time. He got in those bastards' way and they shot him. They _shot_ him with a _cannonball._ And I could only watch as everything erupted into flames and they burned on and on. Until nothing were left."

Ace paused for a very long time. Releasing a shaky breath, he continued, "I never would have thought I'd be a fire logia user now. The one thing I'm afraid of. The irony." He snorted.

Marco remained silent, letting his younger brother let everything out. He imagined a child having to witness the death of his own brother and being completely helpless. It was no wonder that he'd blame himself. Ace always blamed himself for everything. That was why he was gazing out at the sea so forlornly.

"Today's the anniversary, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Ace closed his eyes again, wishing the familiar numbing pain could just disappear. But he snapped them open when he felt a weight on his head.

"It wasn't your fault, Ace." Marco lightly ruffled his hair.

The raven haired teen widened his eyes.

"No, I...I had some responsibilities. Things happened and if it wasn't for me..."

"Then he wouldn't have such a good brother that would grieve and blame himself after so long, yoi." Marco cut him off.

This time, Ace was so surprised his mouth hung opened. He felt tears pricked at his eyes but blinked them away. He had always told himself it was his fault and no one had ever told him that. Somewhere inside his heart, he knew he couldn't have done anything, but no matter what, he was still guilty. Especially when he was now free and happy while Sabo could never taste the same freedom.

They promised to be free together _. If only…_

A reassuring warmth found its place on his shoulder and Ace swiped his hand across his eyes.

"It's in the past, Ace. He wouldn't want you to be this way, yoi. You can always remember him. But not this way. No one wants to be remembered with tears and remorse. Aren't there other memories you guys shared, yoi?"

Ace ignored the lump in his throat. "Yeah. There are. So many of them."

At that moment, memories of the past flashed across his eyes and Ace couldn't help the smile that tugged on his lips.

With that, relief flooded Marco. He knew the pain of losing someone can never be erased, but at least he could try to lighten it.

"I'll bring you some food. And then, after that, you can tell me about Sabo if you'd like to."

Ace nodded, and before Marco was gone, he added, "Thanks, Marco."

He may have lost a brother, and even though he was irreplaceable, Ace had new brothers now. And they were equally irreplaceable in his heart.

Marco smiled. "You're welcome, yoi."

As for Marco, he swore he would never let Ace go through the same pain ever again.

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 **Thanks for reading! Leave a review to tell me whether you liked or disliked it and why! If you have any prompts or ideas for me, feel free to leave them in the reviews as well.  
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	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer : I do not own One Piece.**

 **A huge thanks _whitedragon_** _ **270,** **light-hunter1999,** **charlebois,** **Rayany Amor,** **Kurogitsune Yue,** **Hiken no Furia,** **Angel0940,** **himmelblu,** **linh90,** **FlyingPotato63,** **XxAceLawxX,** **Bubble MaKeRr,** **Triancy,** **YasminSnowflakeFaith,**_ ** _Shikiola,_ to for favouriting/following!**

 **And for the reviews :**

 **catscats1223 : Thanks a whole lot! I'm extremely thankful to you for telling me that as it cheered me up a lot :)**

 **Anon : Thanks for reading and reviewing! I hope this chapter can mend that wound XD  
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 **whitedragon270 : Sorry for missing that dot in your username. FFN deletes the whole thing if I put it in :( Anyway, thank you! I love you for reviewing :)**

 **StarliteOracle : Thank you for reviewing!**

 **Lulu : Aww, thank you! That's sweet of you ;)**

 **Woo, a new update this quick. I'm just overwhelmed with the support I've received so I ended up writing a new one. I hope you'll enjoy it as it's quite light and joyous compared to the last two chapters. It's not as satisfactory to me, so do tell me what you think!**

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Three figures were sprawled out on the floor with two pair of eyes watching them. Thatch was sleeping at the bottom of them three with Haruta resting her legs over his chest and Ace using his stomach as his pillow. Three of them slept soundly, occasionally stirring and hitting the others with their hands or legs.

"They are so cute when they fall asleep. So harmless and unlike the troublemakers they usually are, yoi." Marco sighed, putting one hand on his waist.

Of course they had fallen asleep behind Whitebeard's huge chair. After painting Marco's room with bright colours and changing his shampoo to pink hair dye, they had to hide somewhere. And the safest spot would be somewhere near their captain. They hid well, but to think they had the guts to fall asleep while Marco was still hunting them down. Now, what should he do with them? Throw them into the sea or tie them to the crow nest?

"Gurararara," Whitebeard chuckled. "They are still children at heart."

Marco let out another sigh.

"The same goes for you, Marco." Whitebeard grinned down at the Phoenix and he raised an eyebrow at that.

"I'm too old to be called a child, oyaji."

"Never too old, Marco, never. You're all my sons and as long as I'm alive, you're all my children."

Marco suppressed a smile. "You're spoiling us, yoi."

"And nothing's wrong with that." Whitebeard grinned again, and Marco found himself doing the same.

The first division commander let his gaze fell upon the three pranksters in front of him. They were snoring lightly and somehow that ticked him off. There was no way he would leave without doing anything.

"What should I do with them now, I wonder." He mused.

"I certainly saw them putting away some leftover paint."

Marco raised an eyebrow at his captain. Usually, he would tell him to drop the matter whenever the three pranksters ran up to him for protection. Well, perhaps he could act as a child for once too. He chuckled and left to where Whitebeard had point at. "Thanks, oyaji."

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When Ace, Thatch and Haruta woke up, they were terrified. The three of them woke up in their own rooms and were surprised to find all the walls painted in rainbow colour. Not just that, Thatch's pompadour was gone and his hair was cut short four inches. Haruta's hair was now green. Ace's Striker was all but painted in bright pink and polished to shine. He even had make up on (most probably thanks to Izo's help)!

From then on, they promised themselves to think thoroughly before pranking Marco again.

And Marco could only laugh, along with his captain over two cups of sake as three identical screams resonated across the Moby Dick.

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 **Thanks for reading! Leave a review to tell me whether you liked or disliked it and why! If you have any prompts or ideas for me, feel free to leave them in the reviews as well.  
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	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer : I do not own One Piece.**

 **A huge thanks to** _ **Black' Victor Cachat,** **frappyrouge123,** **unlockai,**_ ** _Moon D Luna_ for favouriting/following!**

 **And for the reviews :**

 **StarliteOracle : Thank you!**

 **Black' Victor Cachat : Ooh, I didn't know that. Many fics I read implied that Haruta is a woman, so I took it that way. Thank you for telling me! I'll change it from now on :) Also, I'm glad you like fatherly Whitebeard! It's one of my favs too XD**

 **Black' Victor Cachat : Although one should really know it's the Mera Mera No Mi from the looks of it, technically people don't get what powers the fruit holds, so that's why I did that. Thank you! I guess it was semi AU too xD**

 **Black' Victor Cachat : Thank you! It makes me happy that you liked what I hinted there ;)**

 **Lulu : Thank you for reviewing again! I'm glad you liked it :) Your prompts are very, very interesting! I appreciate you telling me about them! I have some ideas for a few, and will certainly credit you for it, so watch out for them ;)**

 **Another update. I really didn't think I'll update this fast, albeit a short chapter, but all your reviews and favs make me extremely happy, I just had to. I'll try my best to keep this series going! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧**

 **Enjoy!  
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As Thatch finished up the last of his work in the kitchen, which was assigning the odd jobs to the sous chefs, he walked towards the dining area for a break.

As he reached his destination, he spotted the Second Division Commander's bare back - with the Whitebeard Pirates' mark slapped on it proudly - at one of the corners of the room. He was visibly shaking, and clutching on what seemed to be the newspaper.

"What's wrong, Ace?" Thatch sat beside him, noticing his scowl.

"Luffy's bounty went up again." Ace sighed, throwing his hands up in exasperation after throwing the newspaper on the table. "He went up against the _World Government_ this time! What am I going to do with him?! He worries me sick."

Thatch picked up the newspaper and skimmed through the words absentmindedly. "He's still alive, ain't he? That's good enough."

"I suppose..."

"Plus, it's a younger brother's job to make his older brothers worry!" Thatch laughed, hand reaching out behind Ace to grab his cowboy hat and putting it on the raven's head, "Just like how you make us worry all the time."

"I do not!" Ace pushed the hat that covered his eyes up and huffed.

"Yeah, whatever you say, younger brother." Thatch grinned smugly.

"Ugh." Ace sighed, resting his chin against the table and letting his hands fall beside his body in defeat. "I'm supposed to be the older brother."

"Not anymore, Ace. Not anymore. And definitely not while you're on this ship." The corners of Thatch's lips curved up into a smile.

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 **Thanks for reading! Leave a review to tell me whether you liked or disliked it and why! If you have any prompts or ideas for me, feel free to leave them in the reviews as well. I'll do my best to write them!  
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 **PS : If you have any Christmas prompts, do tell me as Christmas is coming up real soon!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer : I do not own One Piece.**

 **Replies of reviews :**

 **OrangeJacket : Yes, it is from that doujinshi! Thank you so much! It means a lot to me :)**

 **JarOfIdeas : Thank you! I'm so glad you like it. I agree. I'm craving for more family WBP stories and ended up with writing it myself now XD**

 **snowphy : Yes, it was from a doujinshi but I did alter it...Thanks for reading!**

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 **Sorry for not updating for so long. I had this written for almost a month, but never got to typing it out haha ANYWAYEnjoy!  
**

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Ace always acted on impulse; he never was one to think before he acted. But on some rare occasions, he would think too much. He would overthink and it prevented him from falling asleep.

After hours of tossing and turning, he eventually gave up and sat up, leaning against his pillow and looking out of the window. Staring at the night sky though filled him with a familiar peace. It was the only time of the day when the sky and sea were almost the same shade of blue, blending together perfectly as though the horizon had disappeared. The twinkling stars and the glimmering waves were what differentiated them.

He loved looking at the sea at night. In a way, it reminded him of how big and vast the world is; there were so many things and places he had yet to explore.

It was such a beautiful sight.

Despite that, his exhaustion dragged him back to reality. He let out an irritated sigh. He was exhausted, yet his mind kept him from falling into slumber. There was one thing weighing at the back of his mind and it was heavy. It suffocated him.

On the Moby Dick today, no one were their usual selves. There were no laughter loud enough for him to complain that they hurt his ears. He didn't get pranked nor were there any pranks going on. Even food tasted bad, not that it was Thatch's fault; he just didn't have the appetite.

It was as though the life was sucked out of the crew. Everyone emitted the same gloomy aura and ever expression mirrored the other.

The night before, they had a party. Like every other party, everyone were having the best time of their lives. That was until Whitebeard had collapsed all of a sudden and caused the whole ship to shake violently. Everyone were threw off the ground. Both literally and figuratively.

The nurses tended to Whitebeard and after two painstakingly long hours, they informed Marco the situation at which he relayed the news to the crew.

It was just over exhaustion. Rest was all the captain needed.

 _But was it really?_

Although the anxiousness was lifted off everyone's shoulders, the worry clung to them. It felt like a slap to their faces, that their strong oyaji was old after all. Deep down, every single one of them knew that no one could fight old age, or even worse, death. It woke them up and they could no longer afford to laugh. Because what if their home was to disappear?

Being the newest and youngest member of the crew didn't stop Ace from worrying. Although it had only been not more than six months since he joined the Whitebeard's Pirates, he had already found home in this place. His true home.

Whitebeard offered him a home, hope he had never owned, a sense of belonging and most importantly, the freedom he had desired for all his life.

Free from pain and sufferings, self-loath and hatred, fear and emptiness.

And he had gained a father.

A father that he never had; a father he always though he didn't need, one that will always be there for him now.

How in the world could he not worry?

He couldn't afford to lose him or any of what he owned now; the things he could proudly call his now.

Throwing the blanket aside, Ace got off his bed and stood up. Putting on his boots, he walked out of his room silently, not wanting to walk anyone up. His feet brought him to where he wanted to go, the captain's room.

After a day in the infirmary, Whitebeard was allowed to go back to his room to recuperate unsupervised.

As he arrived, he paused right in front of the door. It was already opened - just ajar -, enough for one to peek in if they stood right in front of the door, yet not really enough for passerby to glance in.

It was always open. Every time Ace passed by, it was always, always left open. It was something small but it felt welcoming. Just like Whitebeard himself. Strong but kind, guarded but with cracks small enough for you to squeeze and get to know his love.

Ace push opened the door and walked in hesitantly. The room was only lit with the flame in a lamp on the table. Ace swept his gaze across the room and found Whitebeard snoring lightly on his bed.

Before Ace could even start thinking about how stupid it was to have come here - in the middle of the night and when all the nurses specially ordered that Whitebeard needed to rest without any distractions - Whitebeard stirred. Ace flinched and his heart started thumping faster as though he was a child caught red handed for stealing.

Whitebeard grunted and slowly looked over. Their gazes met and Ace found serenity seeping into him.

"What's wrong, son?" Whitebeard spoke, his voice deep and husky. Ace didn't answer, only staying at the same spot, looking down at his feet. "Won't you come nearer? It's hard to talk when you're so far away."

Ace complied and took a seat on one of the chairs beside Whitebeard's bed, not wanting to tire his captain out any further.

A comfortable silence settled down between them, although Ace was starting to feel the guilt catching up to him.

Noticing his anxiety, Whitebeard propped again. "Are you worried?"

Ace nodded, gaze still glued to his hands, not daring to look at his father.

"I'll be fine. This happens al the time. I'm an old man after all." Whitebeard chuckled, catching Ace's frown at the corner of his eyes. The grin was wiped off of his face as a soft smile substituted it.

"Ace,"

The way his name was uttered with such concern soothed his nerves. Ace finally looked up, distraught eyes meeting sharp but gentle eyes.

"There comes a time when everyone leaves. In this world, there are separations everywhere. But the thing is that you, Ace, aren't alone. Not anymore, and never will be. You have your brothers now."

"But that's different…" Ace muttered. It warmed his heart as he remember all his brothers, but something was missing. It wasn't the same. Because brothers can't replace a father.

"Gurarara! What's a pirate if he is afraid of losing his life?" Whitebeard grinned.

"You're not just any pirate! You're Whitebeard! You're supposed to be strong!" Ace raised his voice, but stopped when he realized what he had just blurted out. More importantly, even he could hear how his voice trembled.

Whitebeard stared right ahead with a deep look in his eyes. After some time had passed and Ace's breathings had become even, Whitebeard started, "I set sailed alone, carrying the dream that everyone laughed at with me as I search for a family, a home. It really wasn't easy."

When Ace met Whitebeard's gaze, he was lost in the fondness that reflected from his eyes. They seemed to sparkle.

"Now I've gotten all of you and I must say, I have more than enough."

"…Even me?"

"Especially you," Whitebeard smiled, the corners of his eyes wrinkling up.

Ace ignored the lump in his throat and couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips.

After a beat of silence, Ace looked up again, but the look in his eyes changed. There were no more fear, anxiousness or sorrow. They shone with pride, love and fiery determination. "I won't let anyone get to you."

Whitebeard raised an eyebrow at his statement.

"I'll protect your back with my life."

A large warmth settled on his head and Ace was pushed down a little.

"Well, I'll be counting on you then," Whitebeard smiled, "son."

One day, Whitebeard will die, but Ace Knew he really wouldn't need to be alone anymore. For the rest of his life until the day he dies. Because his gaping hole in his heart was filled and he would never ever forget the warmth that he was given tonight.

He would give his best shot at surviving, at living his life with his family. And when the day comes for him to die, Ace wished it can be for the sake of his family.

"Now, Ace. I would like to ask for a favour."

"Yeah?"

"Won't you do something about your gloomy brothers? It makes me sicker to see them like way. I'm counting on you to get them back to normal." With that, he closed his eyes, still smiling.

Ace grinned, "Sure!"

And tomorrow - yes tomorrow - he will cause a ruckus again and laugh.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Leave a review to tell me whether you liked or disliked it and why! If you have any prompts or ideas for me, feel free to leave them in the reviews as well. I'll do my best to write them!  
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